Two Ways to Measure Employee Engagement

Recently, in several
client sessions on the topic of employee engagement, I was asked, How should
you measure engagement?

Without saying so
directly, I facilitated them toward the answer to another question: Why would
you measure it?

Here's how we did it.

After setting the stage
with information (drawn in part from the work done by the Gallup organization)
about What employee engagement is and Why it's so important, I asked this
polling question:

What can a Manager do to
promote employee engagement?

As each person answered,
we kept a running tally of the answers on a flipchart or white board.

The answers included such
ideas as...

Keep an open mind

Solicit input

Communicate often

Listen

Be available

Provide coaching

Give feedback

Recognize each person for
the contribution they make to the team

Be flexible

Empower the team

And more. You can imagine
what other answers were given.

What comes next, though,
is the important part.

These answers can be
turned into two types of measurement tools for employee engagement.

The first is a
self-assessment for leaders. Borrowing an idea from the great coach Marshall
Goldsmith, you can take each of the ideas listed and plug it into the frame
"Am I doing my best to..." For example,

Am I doing my best to empower
my team?

Am I doing my best to
communicate often?

Am I doing my best to give
feedback?

Am I doing my best to listen to
my team members?

The second is an upward
feedback instrument for team members to give input to leaders. You can turn
each of the items into a short statement that the team members would answer.
For example:

I feel empowered in my role to
get things done.

I get frequent communication
about what's going on.

I get timely feedback that
helps me improve my performance.

I feel heard when I give my
opinion.

Such measurement tools
will ground the concept of employee engagement in practical terms that can lead
to learning, action, and real change.

Terrence Seamon helps his clients to tap into the power of an
engaged organization. Follow him on twitter @tseamon and connect with him on
LinkedIn.

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